CELPIP CoachSign in
Back to Speaking Task 8

Practice Task 7 — A sofa, lamp and boxes left on a front lawn

Task 8 · Describing an Unusual Situation — describe an unusual or hard-to-explain object or scene

Speaking Task 8Describing an Unusual SituationSPK-T8-07Intermediate
30s prepare · 60s speak

You have 30 seconds to prepare and 60 seconds to speak. Describe the unusual thing to someone who cannot see it, and explain what you think is going on.

Listen to the task prompt. Two fixed voices: a female examiner and a male situation narrator.

You arrive home and find your neighbour's furniture on your lawn. Describe it and explain what you think happened.

A sofa, lamp and boxes left on a front lawn.

CELPIP Speaking Task 8 scene: a suburban front lawn

Points to cover

  • • the sofa, mattress, lamp and boxes on the grass
  • • the homeowner standing on the driveway with his keys
  • • why the furniture might have been put there

You get 30 seconds to prepare, then 60 seconds to speak. Everything here works offline — no AI needed.

  1. 1. Describe the unusual situation
  2. 2. Explain what is happening
  3. 3. Describe a possible cause
  4. 4. Explain the consequences
  5. 5. Suggest what should happen
  6. 6. Conclude

Sentence template

You won't believe what I've just seen. There's ___ right in front of me. It looks like ___, and ___. I'm not completely sure, but my guess is that ___. If that's true, it could mean ___. I think someone should ___. Anyway, I'll let you know if anything changes.